


Words Fail

by warrior_of_wisdom



Series: Castle Town Coffee Shop [13]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Be very very very careful while reading this, Gen, Legend seriously needs a hug, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Self-Hatred, Shorter than the others but there's tons of angst, This one is extremely dark, imposter syndrome, it's literally just angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26326285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/warrior_of_wisdom/pseuds/warrior_of_wisdom
Summary: Legend took a deep breath. “A letter to yourself, that’s all you have to do,” he whispered. “It worked in the show, it’ll work for you.”Right?
Relationships: Legend & Time (Linked Universe), Legend (Linked Universe) & Malon (Legend of Zelda)
Series: Castle Town Coffee Shop [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883869
Comments: 10
Kudos: 99





	Words Fail

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not kidding when I say that this is most definitely the darkest fic in the series, to date. Please, please please please please _please _be careful while reading this.__

As soon as Legend could feel Hyrule’s breathing growing steady next to him, he carefully climbed out of bed, grabbing a sheet of paper and pencil from the bedside table. He walked out of the room, creeping over to the kitchen table and switching on the dim light.

He took a deep breath. “A letter to yourself, that’s all you have to do,” he whispered. “It worked in the show, it’ll work for you.”

Right?

He took a deep breath, and put the pencil to the paper.

_Dear Legend Martinez,_

_Today was not a good day. It hasn’t been a good day for a while, and here’s why._

_I’m just going to go ahead and say it: my life completely sucks. Why, out of all the people in this entire world, did I have to end up with a horrible mom? Why did I have to put my life on the line, day after day, just to make sure my little brother survived? Why couldn’t I have gotten lucky, like Twilight and Wild or Warrior and Wind or Blue? Why couldn’t I have had a mother like Malon, who was always there for me when I needed it? What did I do to deserve all of this?_

_I never had a father like Time, who was there when I was upset or hurt or crying; I never had a mother like Malon, who would just hold me close and comfort me. I don’t know what I did to deserve anything at all. Why did I have to suffer through years of pain and abuse and torture?_

_I’m starting to wonder if all of this is real. It shouldn’t be this easy. I shouldn’t have been able to leave that easily. I should still be there, in that dark, dark apartment, protecting my little brother while we both fight for our lives._

_It’s reminding me of a few lines from one of my songs in the show._

_“Sometimes, you see everything you wanted, and sometimes, you see everything you wish you had, and it’s right there, right there, right there in front of you. And you want to believe it’s true, so you make it true, and you think maybe everybody wants it, and needs it a little bit too.”_

_This… all of this was everything I ever wanted. I just wanted somebody who loved me, was that too much to ask?_

_And now it’s falling apart around me. One of my closest friends was kidnapped by a cult, he’s gonna die in a week, and there’s this creeping feeling that none of this is going to last very long. I can tell that my friends are getting fed up with me never being there when they’re hanging out, or having fun, and they invite me to come with them, and I always say no because I’m too busy dealing with all the crap Mom put us through._

_I feel like I’m faking it. Like all this is some sort of weird dream, and I’m gonna wake up._

_I don’t want to wake up. I want to stay in this dream for the rest of my life. It isn’t fair. Why does everyone else get to be happy? Why can’t I be happy? Why do I constantly feel like I’ve screwed something up?_

_Why do I have to be broken, shattered beyond repair? Why did everyone else get a chance to have a good life? Why do I have so many questions? Why do I need to ask all these questions? I feel like I’m going crazy with everything swirling in my mind._

_It feels like there’s something wrong with me. Earlier today, when Warrior and I went to the hospital, it was like I was back there again._

_On my sixteenth birthday, and I never, ever wanna remember that day. Why did I remember it? Why do I feel like I was there again?_

_I still haven’t forgotten how loudly he was screaming. It haunts me all the time, when I’m trying to have a good time, when I go to sleep, in my dreams, everywhere. I wish I could go back in time. I wish I could fix the trust that I irreparably broke._

_I broke the one promise that I swore to never break. I hurt the only person who was ever truly there for me, the only person who ever understood._

_Reading back over this, I probably need to go to therapy._

_They’ll call me insane, for sure. They’ll say I need to be locked up, and to be honest, I probably deserve that anyway. I’ve hurt so many people._

_I’m a monster._

_But I can’t show anyone how I feel. I can’t tell them how much I’m hurting, because it won’t even begin to compare to how much I’ve hurt them._

_I can keep myself under control for a little while longer. I turn eighteen in a couple months, and then I won’t be anyone’s problem anymore. I can do this on my own._

_They don’t need a screw-up like me in their lives._

_Sincerely, me_

  
  
  


Hours later, Legend cracked open his eyes, seeing the light filtering in through the window. He winced as he felt a pain in his neck, realizing he had fallen asleep in the kitchen.

He sat up slowly, looking down at the table.

The letter was gone.

He froze, feeling a tap on his shoulder. He turned around slowly, seeing Time standing behind him.

His lips were pressed in a firm line, and he had some emotion that he couldn’t recognize plastered all over his face. “Legend, we need to talk.”

Legend nodded, standing up and following him into the living room. Malon was sitting on the couch, tear streaks covering her face. The letter was in her hand, and a part of him died internally.

Time went to sit next to Malon, and both of them looked up at him, and Legend wanted to cry.

“I’m sorry,” he started. “Nobody was supposed to see that-”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, son,” Time said quietly.

“But-”

“No buts, Legend,” he said. “You haven’t done anything wrong. We just wish you had told us how you were feeling…”

“I didn’t want to burden you. I screwed up, I have to deal with it.”

“You aren’t burdening us, sweetie,” Malon said, beckoning for him to come closer. As soon as he was at her side, she pulled him into a tight hug. “Oh, honey, why didn’t you just talk to us?”

He mumbled something quiet, and she asked him to repeat himself.

Legend shut his eyes tight, trembling. “I never let them see the worst of me,” he sang softly, “‘cause what if everyone saw? Would they like what they saw, or would they hate it too?”

A choking sob found its way out of his mouth, and he sank to his knees, and Malon and Time were at his side, pulling him into a hug, and soon Wild and Twilight and Hyrule were there too, and he could feel the warmth and love and it didn’t seem real-

“We love you, honey,” Malon whispered, “Don’t you ever forget it. You’re one of us. You’re not broken, and you’re not a screw-up, and you’re not a monster.”

“B-but-”

“Shh,” she whispered. “It’s okay, baby. It’s all okay.”

So Legend let himself cry, surrounded by his family.

And for a minute, he let himself believe that all this was real. That he was here, with a loving mother and father, with the brothers who loved him more than words could express…

And he opened his eyes, and it _was_ real.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so, so, _so _sorry.__
> 
> __(also, updates are likely gonna slow down because I'm going back to school in a couple days)_ _


End file.
